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Rescue a Great
Dane
Great Dane Puppies for Sale
Great Dane
(Deutsche
Dogge) (German Mastiff)
Rayna at 18 months. Photo Courtesy of Camelot Kennels.
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Dane Breeder
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Dane
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Pronunciation |
Great Dane |
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Description |
The Great Dane is a giant, powerful dog. Square in body, but females may be slightly longer than tall. The long head is rectangular in shape. The muzzle is deep, with a pronounced stop. The nose is black, blue/black on blue Danes or black spotted on the harlequins. The dark, deep-set eyes are medium in size. The medium sized ears are set high and either cropped or left natural. If left in their natural state they are folded forward hanging close to the cheek. When cropped they stand erect and are large in proportion to the rest of the head. Note: cropping ears is illegal in most parts of Europe. The well arched neck is set-high, firm and muscular. The front legs are perfectly straight. The feet are round with dark toenails. The tail is set high, thicker at the base and tapering to a point. Dewclaws are sometimes removed. The coat is short and thick. Colors come in brindle, fawn, black, blue, mantle
harlequin and sometimes merle. Although not a recognized color, chocolate does occur in a recessive gene. Merle is a common result of harlequin breeding, but it is not a recognized
color. |
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Temperament |
The Great Dane has a good disposition, often called a "gentle giant". Charming and affectionate, they are playful and patient with children. They love
everyone and need to be around people. The Great Dane does not bark much and
only becomes aggressive when the circumstances require it. They are reliable,
trustworthy and dependable. Courageous and loyal, they are good watchdogs. The Great Dane does not stay little for long and consistent training and rules should start right from puppyhood. This giant dog should be taught not to jump or lean on people. The objective in training this
dog is to achieve a pack leader status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in their pack. When we humans live with dogs, we become their pack. The entire pack cooperates
under a single leader. Lines are clearly defined. You and all other humans MUST be higher up in the order than the dog. That is the only way your relationship can be a success. Dogs who know their place below humans in the pack order will be good with children. If you are not a firm, confident, consistent pack leader who knows how to correct the dog when he is showing signs of aggression, the dog can be dog-aggressive. Owners who know how to properly handle their dogs will not have this issue. |
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Height, Weight |
Height: Dogs 30-34 inches (76-86 cm.) Bitches 28-32
inches (71-81 cm.) Weight: Dogs
120-200 pounds (54-90 kg.) Bitches 100-130 pounds (45-59 kg.)
Dogs of even larger size are more prized. |
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Health Problems |
Prone to hip dysplasia, bloat, heart disease, tumors and tail injuries. Jogging is not recommended until the dog is at least one year old, but walking is necessary. Not a long lived breed. |
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Living Conditions |
The Great Dane will do okay in an apartment if it
is sufficiently exercised. It is relatively inactive indoors and does best with
at least a large yard. |
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Exercise |
The Great Dane needs plenty of exercise.
They need to be taken on a daily
long walk. |
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Life Expectancy |
The average is under 10 years, however some can
live to be 12-13 years old. |
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Grooming |
The smooth short-haired coat is easy to groom.
Comb and brush with a firm bristle brush and dry shampoo when necessary. Bathing
this giant is a major chore, so it pays to avoid the need by daily grooming. The
nails must be kept trimmed. This breed is an average shedder. |
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Origin |
The Great Dane is a very old breed, known as the "Apollo of all dogs.". Dogs resembling the Great Dane have appeared on Greek money dating back to 36 B.C. There are also drawling's of these dogs on Egyptian monuments from roughly 3000 B.C. The earliest writings of dogs that sounded like Great Danes were in Chinese literature dating back to 1121 B.C. In 407 A.D. German Gaul and
part of Italy and Spain were invaded by an Asiatic people (the Alans) who
brought with them powerful mastiff-like dogs. They were admired for their ability to bring down bear and wild boar. The dogs were thought to have been Wolfhound mixed with the old English Mastiff. With selective breeding the Greyhound was added in to create the Great Dane. Besides being used as a hunter, they were also used as estate guard dogs. Despite the fact that they are called Danes in English,
they have nothing to do with Denmark. The Great Dane was recognized in 1887. Some of the Great Dane's talents are
tracking, watchdog and carting. |
| Group |
Mastiff, AKC Working |
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Recognition |
CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC,
CCR, APRI, ACR, DRA, NAPR |
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CKC = Continental
Kennel Club
FCI = Fédération
Cynologique Internationale
AKC = American
Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel
Club
KCGB = Kennel
Club of Great Britain
CKC = Canadian
Kennel Club
ANKC = Australian
National Kennel Club
NKC = National
Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand
Kennel Club
CCR = Canadian
Canine Registry
APRI = American Pet Registry
Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc.
NAPR = North American Purebred Registry, Inc. |
"Merlin is a 14 month old Blue Great Dane. Some of his likes are ice cubes, chasing tennis balls and chasing me or being chased while I am on a 4 wheeler. He also loves peanut butter in his kong. We live on almost 5 acres and he loves running beside the 4 wheeler. His tempermant is great. Loves my two boys (8 and 9) and likes being around people and other dogs. We try to keep him socialized so he does not lose his love of people. He barks when someone approaches the house but stops as soon as he sees it is ok. I do watch Cesar and try to follow a number of his methods. Another method I adhere to is NILIF. Nothing in life is free. Merlin does not have any toy/food/location aggression. I can place his food down and he sits and waits for a release command so he can eat. I can removed his food while he is eating as well and he does not show any signs of aggression at all. He is a very well mannnered dog."
"Ryan" is an 7 month old
beautifully marked Brindle male possessing that "watch me" attitude
great champions are made of. Photo Courtesy of Camelot Kennels
Elvis, the 2 1/2 years old
Great Dane, born Dec. 1 -99 at Grande Negros, Sweden. He is a real big beauty, weight 200 lb (92kg), height 36 inches (93cm)
Great Dane weighing in at almost 200 pounds (90 kg.) demonstrating how big he is.
Chloe the harlequin Great Dane demonstrating how big she is. To give you a perspective, her owner is 6'3" tall!
"This is my Herschel, a chocolate Great Dane at about 8 months old. He is a true chocolate dog, his nose, the pads of his feet, even his claws are a dark chocolate color. I saw him up for sale for what seemed like an eternity, so after watching his listing for some time I contacted the seller. It seems they were having a hard time placing him in a home because of his color. Chocolate Danes are born of black parents that carry a recessive gene. Even if they carry the recessive gene, it is unlikely their offspring will become a chocolate dog. Because of his unusual color, and the fact that chocolates are not show accepted colors, it appeared he might wait a while before being adopted. I thought it was a shame that his litter mates, all traditional colors, were being purchased left and right while this beautiful dog was being left behind. When the seller described his personality, I decided that my other Great Dane, Floyd, and I had to meet him." See More of Herschel.
RAMBA & RUNA nuo Grazuciu (LKD) - Great Dane puppies at 3 months old from Lithuania. Owner: H.Kuncevic.
"This is my Great Dane, Sugar. Sugar has a defect in her genes that makes her white. I was told that she is a Harliquin, which means that she should have black spots all over her body. She is deaf as a result of her defect. Sugar has been raised with my other animals and they have shown her what is right and wrong. She also trust me to guide her and protect her. She was named because of her color and she is very sweet. She stays close to me and pays attention to what I do. She has been very well socialized. She has four other dogs and a cat to play with. Her best friend is the Chihuahua we call Sandy. Which is probably what she was looking for at the time this picture was taken. She is only a year old and weighs about 90 lbs. She has a special made house that we built for her. She likes to take me on long walks and swim in lakes."
Sugar the Great Dane.
Great Dane Pictures 1
Great Dane Pictures 2
Great Dane Pictures 3
Great Dane Pictures 4
Great Dane Pictures 5
Great Dane Pictures 6
Understanding Dog Behavior
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